Shock and Awe
by Sunshineali
Summary: Col. John Casey has Halloween night off, and this time, he's ready for those little trick-or-treating twerps. He gets a surprise from one of his neighbors that he won't soon forget.
1. Chapter 1

The bell rang, yet again, and Irene happily hopped up from the couch she was sitting on to pass out treats to all of the little trick-or-treaters.

"Oh, aren't you a cute little ghost! and look at you, are you a pirate?" The little boy and little girl grinned as they accepted the small handful of mini candy bars that Irene placed in each of their pumpkin pails.

"Ellie, come and look at these costumes, they're adorable."

Ellie Bartowski stood-up too fast from the couch and felt just a tad dizzy, after one too many glasses of wine. She'd been spending the evening with her friends from work. Irene had invited them all over for drinks and snacks while she passed out treats to the children in her neighborhood. Her girlfriends giggled and gossiped and drank wine while nibbling at the candy treats and other snacks each had brought to share.

Ellie was not ready to attend the annual Halloween party at her apartment complex. She'd always done that with Devon and honestly needed a break from it this year. She wasn't in the mood for getting dressed up in some ridiculous costume and parading around the courtyard. This year, after she and Devon had split, she decided to just enjoy Halloween like it used to be. A holiday for children. It seemed it was getting so out of hand and more and more adults and teens were using it as an excuse to parade in lingerie and dress as bold as they could, pushing the envelope to absurdity. She liked the idea of spending the evening at Irene's home, enjoying the wide-eyed wonderment of the children trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. No outlandish or inappropriate costumes here. Just little boys and girls dressed as Batman or Superman, or a Princess or a Pirate. Nothing over the top here. No scantily clad adult women or men prancing about making a spectacle of themselves.

Ellie joined Irene at the front door and gushed at how cute the kids were. She noticed a proud Mother and Father standing at the curb, patiently waiting for their children. "The costumes are adorable! Did you make them yourself?" she asked.

"Yes, I just finished sewing them today. A little too close for comfort," the women cheerfully replied.

"Well, you did a beautiful job. They're adorable."

Irene and Ellie waived as the couple walked on with their children happily bouncing along next to them.

The women joined their friends who were all seated in the living room, near the front door laughing and enjoying the evening.

"What is the silliest costume you ever wore?" one of the guests asked of Irene.

"I was a paper towel roll in middle school. My Dad used chicken wire to make a cylinder with holes for my head and arms and my Mom painted a sheet with the wrapper. It said "Bounty" across the middle. I won the best costume award that year." She jumped up to run and get a photo to share and returned momentarily with the picture. She passed it around proudly to show everyone.

"Okay, how about the most creative costume you ever wore as an adult?"

One of the doctors spoke up and giggled that she had made her own costume when she was working in pediatrics. "I made a spider costume, complete with eight legs that got in the way of everything. I knocked over an IV stand and decided that was the last time I wore that costume, but the kids in the ward liked it."

"I used that old Simplicity pattern that you can find in every fabric store and made the giant pumpkin costume once. It was easy to make and I stuffed it with newspaper to keep it round and full. I still have it stashed someplace."

"Alright, I've got one, what was the naughtiest costume you ever wore, ladies?"

Ellie took another sip of wine and jumped to answer the question. "Last year, Devon and I dressed as Adam and Eve. You know how comfortable Devon was in bike shorts, well he had nude colored bike shorts on, with a leaf covering his bits. I had a matching bikini on that was covered with glued-on leaves. We looked pretty good, but it really did look like we were nude under the strategically placed leaves," she grinned out.

It was easy to talk about Devon now. They'd had an amicable split and he'd moved on as had she.

"Oh, I can top that. When I was dating this guy in college, I decided to play a trick on him. I dressed in heels and a trench coat and put a on a mask and rang his bell and flashed him. He wasn't expecting me, as I was a waitress and he thought I was working that night. I still remember his face. He was shocked. He had no idea it was me. I made him squirm for about twenty seconds before ripping off the mask. Then his face was even funnier when he saw it was me. The only problem, was his buddies were over and I think one of them saw me when I was standing at the door. I was pretty carefree back then, so, I just laughed it off."

The door-bell rang again and this time Ellie hopped up to get it. She wobbled slightly but was able to pass out treats to a group of boys dressed as Pirates. Ellie feigned fright and cowered back from them as they did their best to scare her.

The conversation switched now and the women wanted to know about Ellie's love life.

"Okay, Ellie, spill about that nieghbor you've had your eye on."

"What?"

"Come on, the guy you keep talking about. You know, Chuck's friend, the one that has Sunday dinner with you, the one that sells appliances."

Ellie wondered if she spoke about John that much. She didn't think so, but he sure was on her mind a lot.

The others playfully chimed in and were begging her to share details.

"Okay, okay. His name is John Casey, he is my brother's friend, but he's older and not a nerd." She corrected herself. "Not that my brother is a nerd, but John is different. He's not like Chuck. He's mature."

"Okay, he's older?"

"No, not mature like, AARP, mature, mature like he's self-confident and secure in himself. He doesn't play video games, you know, mature, mature."

"So, he's not boyish?"

"No, not boyish, but sexy in a boyish kind of way."

Now they were getting slightly irritated and kept pushing. "Tell us what he looks like?"

"Well, he's tall, very tall, actually. He has brown hair and piercing blue eyes and he's very handsome."

"So what's the deal?"

"Well, I see him quite often, but we're always with other people. My brother and his girlfriend are almost always with us. I've never spent anytime with him alone, but I'd like to," she wistfully added.

"Is he at the apartment party right now with your brother?"

"Yes, probably. Last year, he didn't really attend the party per-say, he just stayed in his apartment, but he's probably there this year as he knows everyone better."

"Well, I think we should meet him Ellie."

There was something in the way that they all said it, that made her realize they had an idea.

"Oh, no. No way. We are not going to that party. I told you guys I just wanted to hang out here. No costume party, nothing like that."

Irene, who had a very evil smile on her face let the cat out of the bag. "Here's what we do, I have a bunch of coats in my closet. We all wear one and we get a few brown grocery bags, cut out holes for the eyes and then, poof, we have a quick easy disguise."

"Then we all pile in my car and drive over there, we mingle with the other people at the party while you go ring his bell. If he answers, you flash him! then we all can get a look at him. Then we take off. With five of us, dressed the same, he won't know who you are, and he won't recognize my car. Oh my god, it's perfect."

"Now I know you've had too much wine. Why on earth would I dress up in a trench coat and flash my neighbor?"

Again, an overwhelming group response made her giggle as all of her friends yelled, "Because it's fun, Ellie."

Irene jumped back in. "It's Halloween, come on, let's have some fun. I want to see this guys face. I'm going to record it on my cell."

"Oh yeah, right, I'm going to let you record me, naked, in a trench coat, flashing my neighbor?"

They were giggling so hard now it was almost like they were back in high-school.

"I'm not going to record you, in all your glory, just him. I want to see him answer the door, then see what he does when you show him the goods."

"This is silly. We're professional women. We don't drive around in trench coats, flashing men."

"Ellie, it's Halloween. Everyone is out in costumes doing weird stuff. Come on, this will be fun. We all need a good laugh. There is no way he'll know who you are! come on, let's just do this. It'll be so freaking funny."

Ellie took another drink from her wine glass. The fact that she was even contemplating this indicated she was probably drunk. But, she had to admit, there really was no way that he'd know it was her. It would be kind of fun to pull a prank with her friends and she secretly liked the idea of letting him see her naked and seeing his reaction to the whole thing.

So, how on earth she ended up agreeing, was beyond her, but she found herself seated in the front seat of Irene's minivan as they headed towards her apartment building. She left her car at Irene's as they'd head back that way and, if she was still buzzed, she'd just stay over night and come home on Sunday morning. She knew the party would be busy, as there were many people from the complex that would be there so getting in, would be easy.

"Okay, if we do this, we do it right. Pull over a block or so before we park and let's put the bags over our heads. I am not taking any chances that my brother or any of his friends could be in the area."

The car pulled up to the drop-off zone at the curb of the apartment building. Irene went into squad leader mode. "Shhh. Absolute silence, ladies! Ellie, let us get into place and mingle. I'll stay far enough back, that he probably won't even notice me. But I want to get this on my cell."

Ellie and Irene watched the other girls stroll into the party and begin to mingle. She felt her heart begin to race ever so slightly as she headed for John's front door. She didn't see Chuck, Sarah or even Morgan which was a good sign. Maybe they'd headed off to another party. Then she panicked for just a moment at the thought that Chuck may be in John's apartment. But, if that was the case, she'd just turn tail and leave and abort her "mission." She was now standing at John's front door. The lights were on inside and she could hear the television in the background.

When she was thirteen, she'd gone to a slumber party and everyone had snuck out after midnight to toilet paper the home of a boy from school that she, and all of her friends had a crush on. She remembered how anxious she'd felt, but, how much fun it had been and smiled under the secrecy of her brown bag as she realized that she felt exactly the same way then, that she did now. Her pulse was rapid, and she was breathing a bit harder than normal. She thought of how it would feel to unabashedly expose her naked body to the intense gaze of John Casey. And decided she liked the idea more and more. She untied the belt on the trench coat and decided now was the time. She took a deep breath and knocked.

(TBC)


	2. Chapter 2

John Casey had just finished updating files of data on several rogue fulcrum agents and decided to take a break. Thankfully, unlike last year, none of the children in his apartment complex had yet to ring his bell for treats. Last year, he'd been ill-prepared for trick-or-treaters, as due to the annual courtyard party, he didn't think any of the children would actually ring his bell for treats. He was wrong. He'd gotten three trick-or-treaters who had managed to catch him by surprise. He'd contemplated giving them shells for his three-fifty-seven magnum, that was in plain view, sitting on his coffee table, but decided against that. So, he gave each of them the next best thing, three over-ripened bananas. He still remembered the puzzled expression the little girl, dressed as a princess had given him. But, apparently, he'd passed muster as she and the two super hero's with her, who appeared to be Batman and Superman, happily said thank-you and skipped away.

Casey had been surprised by a seven year old and that was unacceptable! He was always prepared. He always did the reconnaissance, he always knew what to expect and always had a plan, or at least a contingency plan. This year, he was prepared. He would not be caught off guard again.

He almost didn't realize that it was Halloween, until he walked into the Buy More that morning. Either all of the employees were holding a daytime rave party on company time and were under the influence of narcotics, alcohol or other intoxicants, or, it was Halloween. Big Mike had initially chided him for not wearing a costume, and had hurriedly stalked into his office and came back momentarily with a button that he pinned on Casey's work shirt. It simply stated "This is my costume," and, Casey found that he liked it. It effectively shut everyone up who approached him to ask why he wasn't wearing a costume. As if that would ever happen.

As he drove home from work that afternoon, he stopped at the grocery store to pick up a steak, a six-pack and some milk. The twenty-something checker with blue hair, who always flirted with him when he was in her line, smiled broadly at him. "Aw, that's so cute!"

The bag-girl standing at the end of the check-stand, who looked like she was a possible gang member, with her tight pony-tail, heavily made-up, but pretty face and her huge gold hoop earrings smiled brightly at him as well. Casey stifled a low growl as her fingers brushed against something on his chest and looked down to where her eyes were focused and realized he'd left the damn Halloween button on.

"Yeah, I'm all about cute," he semi-grunted to the two fawning women. Blue-hair giggled again and batted her eyelashes at him. "Is there anything else you need?" she demured as she continued, "Do you need any treats for the kiddies?"

He looked at the girl in front of him with her glaring blue hair, pierced nose and tattoos who was now flirtaciously smiling at him, awaiting an answer.

Though irritated, he realized he did need candy so he calmly replied, "Yes, thank you for reminding me, I'll take two bags."

The checker grabbed two bags from the display behind her and finished ringing up his purchases.

"Do you want paper or plastic, Big Poppy?"

And, now it was the bag-girls turn to flirt with him. He, the hardened NSA Agent/Killer was now, affectionately being referred to as "Big Poppy," by a complete stranger.

"Paper," is all he got out as she, in turn, smiled provacatively at him. "Do you want some help out to your car?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine. Have a nice evening ladies," he somewhat defeatedly added.

"Bye!" they both replied as he left the store. Casey didn't get it. Why did people want to chat him up all the time. Was he not intimidating, had he not heard himself referred to, countless times as a "Bad-Ass." He'd been around the world, seen and done serious, unspeakable things and only here, in L.A., did everyone want to chat him up? It didn't matter if it was two twenty-something girls, a cougar housewife, college co-eds, gay men, Grandmothers or nerds like Morgan and Chuck, it seemed like his intimidating mannerisms didn't get through to anyone in this town. And, what was it with the women here? They were so chatty and flirty.

Now, finally done with the demeaning end of his job, he was about to settle in on the couch and eat his grilled steak and have a beer or two. He grunted his annoyance as he heard the beginnings of loud thumping music emanating from the courtyard, but knew it would all be over in a few hours. He dared not open his door to see who was in attendance, as he'd undoubtedly be dragged out by Chuck or Morgan if they saw him.

As he ate his food, he admitted to himself that he was curious about one party-goer in particular. He had the urge to see what type of costume Ellie would wear this year. Last year she was a knock-out, dressed, or un-dressed as the case was, as Eve with that dolt of a boyfriend, dressed as Adam. Chuck mentioned that it was Devon who had the "awesome" idea of dressing them as Adam and Eve. While appreciating her curvaceous figure, Casey wondered why any man in his right mind, would come up with that kind of revealing get-up that put his woman on display for all to see. But, Devon was an idiot. A nice idiot, a talented idiot, but still, an idiot. If it had been he who was with Ellie, they'd have never made it out to the party with her dressed like that. He'd have had her panting and moaning and writhing under him as he showed her what original sin was really all about.

Rather than chance a peek our the window blinds, he sat down in front of his computer and checked the perimeter security cameras to see if he could spot her. There were several women in scanty costumes, but none held his interest. He checked several more camera feeds, but didn't see her. He'd check later, but now, he had an appointment with his recliner chair, a steak and a DVD of "Young Frankenstein."

Just as Casey was digging into his steak someone knocked on his door. He quickly glanced at his computer to see who was on the security camera and noted it was some kid with a bag over their head. He smirked at the lack of creativity of the costume but got up anyways, as he was prepared and ready for trick-or-treaters, no matter how crappy their costumes were. He still had the ability to lock down his apartment if there was a security breach and was protected by the many security features he'd installed as one could never be too safe in his business, so he grabbed the bag of candy and opened the door.

--

Ellie took a deep breath as she heard John open his door and yanked her coat open. "Trick or Treat," she squeaked in a tinny, high voice. She watched his face as his eye's momentarily went wide and his jaw dropped open then just as quickly closed and his face became expressionless but then changed again to what appeared to be a very small, almost imperceptible smile. They stood brown-bag to face for a few brief seconds before John, never taking his eyes off of her, reached into a bag of candy and held a handful out to her.

Ellie, her confidence wavering, was beginning to feel the need to either throw herself on him or flee. He was speaking now and her brain focused back on decoding words.

"Where is your treat bag?" he asked in a calm tone with the beginnings of a smirk showing on his face.

"What?" she squeaked.

"Here is your treat, where should I put it?" he smiled, now starting to relax and notice the gorgeous body before him that apparently wasn't going to try and kill him.

Was he flirting with her? Ellie just held out her hands as he dropped the treats into them. She felt shocks and tingles as their hands briefly met.

"Who are you?" he asked, with a genuine look of puzzlement on his face.

Completely freaked out now, Ellie tossed the candy back at him, closed and tied her coat shut then turned on her heel and fled. As she rounded the corner, her foot caught and she broke off the heel on the pumps. Not letting it slow her down, she scurried off to the car as her friends fled with her.

"Wait!" he called out, "Who are you?" But he doubted anyone had heard him due to the loud music playing. 'What the hell!' John thought. He was about to close the door but on a whim decided to pursue his fleeing, and very feminine flasher. Who was the woman and why had she flashed him? He grabbed his keys and ran out the door, looking for signs of Chuck or Sarah. 'God, would Sarah flash him...ew, he hoped not. Just the thought of that made him very uncomfortable and he knew, instinctively that she would never do that, even on a dare. Plus, she wasn't as curvy as his flasher was. While not being alarmed, he was curious as to what was going on. As he hurried out onto the street, he saw two, no, four people in trench coats and heels and bags over their heads piling into a minivan laughing and giggling as the van pulled away and headed off into the night. Now, he knew something was up. Who were these mad women and what did they want from him? He just stood there for a moment, in stunned silence, and nearly decked someone when they touched his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy, you look like you saw a ghost. What gives?"

Chuck was standing behind him in his nerd herd uniform.

"Did you see that van Bartowski? the one that just peeled out of here?"

"No, I was parking and not really paying attention. Why is there a problem? Are you okay? Did somethin-"

Casey just growled and walked away. Chuck took it as his sign to leave and shrugged his shoulders and went to join the fun at the party. He and Morgan had a costume to get into. They were going to be "Mr. Ed," this year. But, it was Morgans' turn to be the ass. He cheerfully whistled the tune from the old show as he walked.

--

"Oh. My. God. that was priceless! I got it all on my cell. His jaw dropped Ellie! it actually dropped."

"Yeah? but did it drop in a good way, or in a "some weirdo is flashing me kind of way"?

"Oh, it was definitely in a good way."

Her heart, which had been pounding, was now slowing down and she got a small smile on her face. "He asked me where my treat bag was. What a dunce, I didn't even think about that."

"Yeah, it was funny when you threw the candy back at him. He just looked so stunned. I haven't seen anything that funny in a long time."

"So, what'd you think? he's cute isn't he?" Ellie asked as the van pulled into the driveway and they got out.

"Oh, Ell Honey, he's a doll."

"I can't believe I did that! no more wine for me ever again!" she laughed.

"Oh a little excitement is good for your Ellie. Plus, now you know, he liked what he saw."

"As if he wouldn't," Corrine replied

Ellie's grin got even bigger as she hobbled into the house. Normally she'd be upset at breaking the heel on her favorite pair of Louboutins, but this had been worth it.

--

As John walked back to his apartment, he studied the walkway carefully for clues. She'd taken this path as she fled his apartment earlier and sure enough, he bent to pick up a three inch black and red heel that must have broken off of her shoe as she rounded the corner. He tucked it in his pocket and headed into his apartment and immediately went to his computer to check the digital camera feeds. He could see the minivan on the street, but the angle in which it was parked caused a reflection, so the camera wasn't able to pick up a clear license plate number. He looked at the feeds from the courtyard and was able to pick out the other three women, dressed in the same get up as they mingled with the other guests. He knew he could always run the make, model and color of the minivan, but every soccer mom in L.A. drove one, so he'd have to check out ten-thousand of them. He sighed and pulled up the last camera feed that monitored the breezeway by the mailboxes. He sighed as he saw her running to the waiting van. He knew this was not a security breach as when did voluptuous, hot fulcrum agents place bags over their heads and flash their opponents?

"So, Cinderella, who are you?" he asked as he set the heel on his desk. He didn't know much about womens shoes, but the red and black heel was very distinctive. He quickly pulled up an image on the computer and noted it was a Christian Louboutin shoe.

--(TBC)


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie fell on the bed in Irene's guestroom and lay quietly as she tried in vain to fall asleep. She was wound up and was rehashing everything that had happened with John. She grinned as she replayed the video that Irene had shot on her cell. She'd left the cell on the kitchen counter and had told Ellie to check it out again if she wanted to. Ellie had grabbed it and taken it into her room as they headed off to bed. It was pretty funny she had to admit. John's jaw had, in fact, dropped open. He didn't close it for a few seconds and then, once he did, he didn't look horrified, but rather had a tiny smirk on his face. She smiled and sighed as she watched their hands meet and recalled the buzz she'd felt as they touched. Now she laughed as she watched herself toss the candies back at him and the cute, puzzled look that he gave her. Maybe she should feel bad about what she'd done, as it would have been quite different if the situation were reversed. While the idea of seeing John, naked in front of her door was appealing, if it had been some random man with a bag over his head, flashing her, the police would be involved and she'd probably have kicked him in his jewels and gotten her pepper spray out.

She wondered how she and John would ever be able to actually get together and spend some quality time together in the real world. She could come right out and confess to him and see where that lead, or she could keep her "dirty" little secret and just flirt with him and see how things developed. Or, she could enlist Chuck and Sarah. There were so many possibilities that she decided to just drift off to sleep, and, if she was lucky, she'd dream of him.

--

John couldn't sleep. He kept running the whole "incident" over in his mind. He tried to figure who would do something like that and kept coming back to the realization that it probably wasn't anyone he knew. He'd briefly thought of the two girls from the grocery store, but realized they were the wrong size. Too short and not voluptuous enough. His girl, that was how he now found himself referring to the mystery woman, was a tall drink of water and had long, lean legs and was well endowed without being too top-heavy. That was about all he could get. White female, approximately five foot eight, built well, lean and tall. Conspired with two other Caucasian females and one Hispanic female. As he drifted off to sleep, he figured it was probably some sorority prank, but there was something he felt when their hands had briefly touched.

--

During the next few days, John found himself almost obsessed with trying to find his mystery girl. He briefly contemplated running plates on all ten-thousand plus Toyota mini-vans but knew that would be futile. Like a person with a shoe fetish, he found himself constantly focused on the shoes women around him were wearing. At night, he would lie awake for several hours, when his sleep was interrupted and try, in vain to figure out who she was. And then there was the problem, that "if" he was somehow able to find her, what would he do with her once he got her. Those thoughts always made his mind drop into the gutter, which made him feel slightly guilty.

One day, he was heading over to the washer and dryer section of the store and he noticed a pair of Louboutins walk by. Yep, they were definitely Louboutins. His head moved up slowly from the womens feet, as he checked her out. When he finally looked at her, she had a look on her face that said he was about three seconds away from getting slapped. He lowered his head again and quickly walked on by when he realized she was too short to fit his Cinderella's profile.

"Creep," the woman irritatedly replied as John went by.

As John got the hell out of there, he quickly turned around the corner and ran into Morgan Grimes.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?"

"Get out of my way, Grimes."

"Um, you banged into me Big Guy."

Casey growled and side-stepped Morgan, but Morgan stunningly didn't back off, but rather stepped back into his path.

"Seriously, Dude, follow me. I've got the cure to your problem."

Casey stood there silently stewing but decided to follow the little-troll. Did he know something? had he somehow been involved in the Cinderella prank? Casey irritatedly caught up to him as Morgan walked into the employee lounge and pointed to a chair at the table.

John sat and watched as Morgan fished out some coins from his pocket and bought two grape sodas. He placed one in front of Casey and popped the other and took a long swig.

"Ah, that hits the spot. It's my professional opinion, that there is no problem that a good, cold grape soda cannot fix."

Casey stared up at him in amazement. Here it was again, the L.A. "friendly person" syndrome in action.

"Grimes, I don't have tim-"

"Sit, drink, stay," Morgan commanded.

Casey defiantly opened the can and chugged the contents down. It was rather good, and even though he'd never admit it, ever since Grimes had turned him onto grape soda a year ago during his interrogation, he did, on occasion like to imbibe in the sweet, sugary treat.

"So, what gives?"

"I don't know what you're babbling about Grimes?"

"Don't try and deflect the question. You know what I mean. You're hanging your head and walking around all down-in-the-dumps. I know you and I aren't as close as you and Chuck are, but I can tell that something is wrong. If you want, I can go get Chuck."

Casey swallowed down a gulp the wrong way and coughed and sputtered. God, that was all he needed. Being interrogated by not one, but two uber-nerds. It was time to change the conversation and get Grimes to calm down and back off. Decorum was called for.

He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine, Grimes. It's just a muscle spasm in my neck."

"Oh, those are a bitch. I get them on occasion when I hit the weights too hard."

Casey smirked, took one last chug of soda, tossed the can in the refuse and head held high, headed out. "Well, I've got appliances to sell and stock to load, I'm out of here."

"Glad to help," Morgan called out after him. He still had half a can of soda to enjoy and he wasn't going anywhere.

--

The next few days went by quickly and John was feeling back to normal. He had the morning off and didn't have to report to the Buy More until Noon. He'd gone on an early morning run and had just gotten back. He was checking the camera feeds to make sure everything was okay at Casa Bartowski when he heard a scream. He actually heard it in his apartment first before hearing it on the feeds and immediately recognized that it was Ellie. He quickly switched to the feed in her bedroom but saw nothing. He switched to the hall monitor and saw that the bathroom door was open and steam was coming out. She was in there, and something was wrong. He shoved his glock in his belt and tore out of his apartment. As he ran, he tried to decide how to handle this. Would he use his key and just show up and say the door was unlocked? Should he kick the door in? He decided to just play the neighbor-in-peril scenario. If he were just some random neighbor who happened to hear a woman screaming, he'd kick the door down. As he got to the door, he noted the screaming had stopped and tried the handle. It was unlocked, which irritated him, but he figured she'd left it open by accident. He stepped into the room and called out to her in a loud voice.

"Ellie..... Ellie are you okay, it's John Casey?" He heard her answer him from the shower.

"John, thank God you're here. My water just went from hot to freezing then it just shut off altogether! I have shampoo and soap all over me and it's starting to burn and I can't get the faucet to work...."

He forcefully had to not think about her being wet, sudsy and naked and decided she did need his help. "Do you want me to come in?"

"Um, yeah."

"Do you have a towel or a robe?"

"Oh Damn-it," he heard her muttering before she answered. "No, I just hopped in and forgot my towel."

"Okay, no worries, where is your robe or a towel?"

"My robe is hanging behind the bedroom door, and there are towels in the hall closet."

"I'll get them, just hang-on."

He went into her bedroom and grabbed her robe and then grabbed two towels from the closet in the hall. He let her know he was coming in.

"Okay, I have your robe and two towels. Take a towel from me, I'll turn the other way."

He stepped into the bathroom and backed towards the shower to give her privacy. She opened the door and grabbed the two towels from him.

"I'll wrap myself up. Just give me a second."

"No problem. I'll wait in the hall." He backed out of the room to allow her to cover herself. In a few seconds she called back to him. "Okay, I'm bundled up, can you come in now?"

John walked into the bathroom and noted that she was still standing in the shower but was wrapped in the towels.

"Oh, John, I'm so embarrassed. I don't know what the hell is wrong with the shower. Can you get the water going again? I'm all full of shampoo and soap," she moaned miserably.

He examined the two faucets and noted the water was definitely not flowing. "I'm just glad I heard you. You sure let out a shriek. I wasn't sure if I should come in or not, but the door was unlocked."

"I didn't realize I'd yelled that loud, but the water shifted and it was freezing and just shocked me. Is something broken?"

"I'm not sure what the deal is." He tried the sink faucet and tried to flush the toilet and noted nothing worked. "Ellie, it looks like your water has been shut off."

"Oh damn. He warned me about this and I totally forgot."

"Who warned you?"

"Devon. He told me I'd have to pay the next water bill electronically as he took his name off the bill when we split. He even left me an email to remind me and I totally forgot. Geeze, aren't they supposed to warn you or something before they just shut it off altogether?"

"You would think so. Why don't you come over to my place and rinse off, then you can call them and pay over the phone so they'll turn it back on. I'll wait in the living room. Just come out when you're ready."

John took a seat on the couch and waited for her. In another minute she came out, still wrapped in the towels but now holding her slippers a robe and two more dry towels. She looked lovely but disheveled and for a fleeting moment, she somehow reminded him of his flasher with her robe all tied up like it was.

Casey was thankful that his computer monitor was sleeping but hoped that Beckman wouldn't burst onto the screen. Once Ellie was in his shower, he could turn the monitor off, but he just had to get her upstairs quickly which shouldn't be a problem. "Come on, the bathroom is upstairs." He led the way up the stairs and into his bedroom, thanking himself for being clean and tidy.

"Oh, John, I'm so sorry about all of this. But, I'm glad you were home. I don't know what I'd have done."

"Don't worry about it, Ellie. Take your time, use my shampoo and soap. Just get warmed up and clean. I'll be downstairs. If you want extra towels, they're in the cabinet under the sink."

"Thanks, John. You're a life-saver."

He left her in his shower and went downstairs. He decided to make a pot of coffee in case she was still cold when she finished her shower. He switched off his monitor and looked around to make sure everything was ship shape for having a guest in his home. All was well, so he sat down and waited for her as he sipped his coffee and read the morning paper.

Ellie dropped the sticky, soppy towels to the floor and stepped into the hot shower. For a few minutes, she just stood quietly and let the water fall down on her and warm her chilled body. 'What a fiasco' she thought. She was so thankful that he'd been home as all of the other neighbors were gone in the day at work. She opened her eyes and had a look around his bathroom. Everything was so clean and pristine which she was secretly thankful for. She knew if Chuck lived alone, his shower would more than likely be crawling with mold and goo. In the corner of the shower were John's simple bath products. A back brush hung on a suction cup against the shiny black tiles. There was a shampoo and conditioner combo that appeared to be a simple store brand, not a salon brand, and a bar of soap, which she identified by scent to be Irish Spring. Predictable, plain, simple and all man. She grinned at the thought of Devon's line of hair care and skin care products. He'd used more products than she did. He even had his light brown hair high-lighted by the same girl who styled her own hair.

She squeezed a small amount of John's shampoo into her palm and cleaned up her thick, gooey mess and then rinsed it with his conditioner. She soaped herself up with his soap and then stood for a few more minutes. When she was done, she got out of his shower and stood in front of the mirror as she toweled herself off. She noted his toothbrush in it's stand, the dixie cup dispenser and his electric shaver that was plugged into the wall charging. She resisted the urge to snoop in his medicine cabinet but spied his thick black comb laying on the counter. If she left her hair in the towel, it would dry and be a ratty mess. She really should give it a quick comb through and then it could air dry until she got home to her flat-iron. She doubted he'd mind, so she picked it up and ran it through her silky locks. Now that she was dry, she pulled on her fluffy robe and slippers and draped the extra dry towel over her robe. She used the damp towels to wipe down his wet tiles and glass shower doors.

As she exited his bathroom, she looked around his bedroom and noted how clean and neat it was. There were a few pictures in frames on a dresser in the far corner of the room and she noted a set of weights and a bench in the other corner. She really wanted to walk to the dresser and check out the pictures, but just like his medicine cabinet, she respected his privacy and went downstairs to join him.

"You all set now?" he asked as she joined him in his living room.

"Yes, thank you so much. I hope you don't mind, but I used your comb. I forgot mine and if I don't comb out my hair quickly, it quickly becomes a rats nest."

"No problem, Ellie. I'm glad I was home and was able to help you out."

"You know, I was thinking about that. If you weren't home, I was going to have to go out to the pool and jump in to rinse off. That would have been so gross."

"Well, it sounds better than the other alternative."

"What's that?"

"Using water from the toilet tank."

John actually laughed aloud at the expression on her face. She was obviously aghast at the mere thought.

"Oh, no, that would not happen. It would have definitely been the pool over toilet water."

"Well, you know they claim it's clean and all."

"Ughhh, gag. Nope, a chlorine rinse sounds way better than a toilet tank rinse."

"I made some hot coffee, figured you may be cold. Want a cup?"

Ellie smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Yes, I'd love a cup. I'll take it black."

John poured her a cup and she sat down on his couch. He noted her fluffy terry robe and matching slippers with what appeared to be cats and dogs on the pattern.

She took the coffee from him, and as their hands touched, she felt that same spark that she'd felt the other day when she'd shamelessly flashed him. She looked up at him as he stood over her and gave him a bright smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Ellie had been thinking about John all day and how sweet it was of him to let her use his shower. She'd called the water company and gotten the water turned back on and switched the account information from Devon's to her own. She really wanted to do something nice for John and decided she'd make him some lemon bars. Her lemon bars were a family favorite so she quickly whipped a batch up and set them aside as they cooled.

She couldn't help but remember how it had felt the two times they'd touched each other. There was an electricity and energy that swept through their hands. Both times that it had happened, she felt exhilarated and aroused and it made her wonder that if this was caused, simply by their hands touching, what would happen if it were their lips, or other body parts touching? She smiled to herself at the thought. It had been so easy to talk with him as they'd sipped their coffee together that morning. She'd often noticed that John seemed easily irritated and annoyed with Chuck, which she admitted were feelings she often shared when it came to her lovable but ditzy brother, but she had sensed none of those vibes when John was around her. In fact, he seemed much more open and relaxed when it was just the two of them. Almost like he was a different person. She really needed to find a way to spend more time with him. Several scenarios flitted through her brain. Maybe going out to dinner with Sarah and Chuck would be a nice way to spend more time with him as John seemed comfortable with her brother and his girlfriend. Ellie decided that she'd give Chuck a buzz and see if he wanted to go out for dinner that evening.

A few minutes later, she once again found herself standing at John's front door, this time, not in a trench coat with a bag over head, nor dripping with shampoo, but rather holding a plate of lemon bars. She heard his foot-steps as he approached the door. He answered and she noted he was wearing a tight brown t-shirt that displayed even more rippling, strong muscles than what she normally saw. She had to clear her throat in order to speak.

"Ugh, Hi, John. I wanted to thank you again for helping me out this morning. I called the water company and got everything straightened out."

"Glad to hear that, Ellie." He was smiling at her and she felt the urge to clear her throat again. Remembering what she'd come for, she held the plate up to him. "I hope you like lemon bars. I made them for you. Everybody that's had them, loves them, so I hope you will as well."

John took the plate from her hands and felt an instant spark. It made him briefly think of his Cinderella. Ellie was smiling up at him waiting for some sort of reply. "Thanks, Ellie. They look delicious."

"Enjoy them, John. I had to get them out of the kitchen before Chuck spotted them as he will literally eat the whole pan. I also wanted to ask you, even though it's short notice, if you'd like to join Chuck, Sarah and myself for dinner. We're going to try a new Japanese sushi house in North Hollywood."

There, she'd gotten it out and somehow she knew he'd agree to come along.

"Sure, that sounds good. I was just trying to figure out what I was going to eat for dinner."

Bingo, she inwardly grinned, "Great, we'll knock about seven. Oh, I'm paying for your dinner just so you know."

"You don't need to pay for me. I'd like to think that if I were in the same situation, you'd shower with me- I mean let me use your shower," he quickly corrected.

Fuck, what the hell was he saying! he inwardly chastised.

Ellie's smile got bigger and her eye's sparkled as she watched his discomfort at his faux paux. "My shower is your shower, John," she cheekily replied. "See you in an hour," she chirped as she smiled at him over her shoulder, leaving him standing there with his mouth once again hanging open as it had on Halloween.

--

"Okay, Chuck, go get in-line and I'll park the car."

Ellie pulled to the curb as Chuck and Sarah got out of the back seat. She looked over to John who was in the passenger seat next to her. "Do you want to go with Chuck and Sarah or stay with me in parking purgatory?"

"I think I'll stay with you. You're going to need help."

He was right, she sighed. It was hard getting a parking spot during the dinner hour in L.A. and even harder in North Hollywood. They circled the block twice, just in case a car was leaving one of the metered, curb spots, but they had no such luck. Ellie now found herself circling the never ending levels of the nearby parking garage. Of course, she finally found a spot on the top floor of the garage. She and John now found themselves standing in a long line to prepay and get their exit ticket.

Ellie sighed as the line to pay crept along. She had been enjoying her time with John as they easily chatted with each other.

"Guess what I got to do today, John?" she excitedly asked.

John smiled at her bubbly exuberance. "What?" he replied as he watched her lovely face.

"I got to deliver a baby today! Normally we call OB/GYN down to handle that, but she was already dilated and having contractions and that baby was not going to wait for anyone, so I got to bring her into the world!"

"Was that the first baby you've delivered?"

"No, my third. It's not something we normally do in the ER, we send them upstairs."

John wanted to tell her that he too had once delivered a baby when he was in Afghanistan, but as usual, he had to keep it all inside. Never getting to share the good stuff that he'd experienced. "That sure would be exciting," he honestly replied.

"It was. It kind of uplifts you and takes your mind off the more stressful cases we normally see in the ER." She happily continued, "I'm glad you stayed with me, John, it's nice to have someone to talk to. I get really impatient and you're keeping my mind off the fact that I'm so hungry I could eat my shoe."

"Well, we're up next, and, by the time we get back to the restaurant, Chuck should have a table so it'll work out fine."

Just then, Ellie's cell rang and she irritatedly sighed and answered it. John watched her expressive face. Her eye's rolled slightly as she spoke. Somehow, he knew she was talking to Chuck. He smirked, appreciating the fact that she experienced the same irritations that he did with the like-able, but somewhat annoying Chuck.

"Chuck left his wallet in the car. Can you hold our place and I'll run back and get it for him?"

"No, you don't need to do that, I'll run back and get it. Let me have your keys."

Ellie handed him the keys, and there it was again, that hot jolt of pleasure she felt as their hands brushed together. Their eye's held for a brief second then he was off, jogging back up the ramp towards her car.

Ellie watched him as he jogged back to the car. It was driving her crazy and she knew that he'd felt and noticed it too. What was she going to do she sighed as she turned back, noting that it was finally her turn to pay.

John quickly made it back to the car and opened the rear door to check the seat for Chuck's wallet. Leave it to the kid to further slow them down he groused to himself. But, he was enjoying spending the time with Ellie. He eyed the back seat for the wallet and when he didn't find it, he looked on the floor and spied it laying under the corner of a shopping bag that was shoved behind the drivers seat. As he retrieved the wallet, he did a double take when he clearly saw a distinctive black and red patent leather heel peeking out of the bag. Hope flooded his being. 'Could it be, could I be so lucky?' he thought to himself. He quickly opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the floorboard. There, laying before him, were the infamous three inch stilettos. He noted they were size eight and one had it's heel intact while it's mate, did not. He felt a rush of euphoria come over him. Ellie, Ellie was his Cinderella!

"Hot Damn! you little minx," he grinned as he quickly wrapped them back up in the bag and tucked them back under her seat.


	5. Chapter 5

Casey shut the car door, but on instinct opened it again and quickly removed the bag containing the shoes. Noting a rather large trash can off to the side of the garage, he tossed the bag and it's contents inside, as she wouldn't be needing those shoes anytime soon, he grinned as he processed his discovery and walked back to join Ellie. He felt a million emotions wash over him. Joy, relief, curiosity, excitement, arousal and a bit of puzzlement as to what his next step should be. One minute he was minding his own business handling the intersect, the next he was getting drawn in by the intersects smart, sexy and very dangerous sister, who affected him, really affected him.

He was grinning like and idiot as he approached her and had to force himself not to smile, which normally had never been a problem for him. He had to squash the urge to grab her like a neanderthal, toss her in her car and drive to the nearest hotel and have wild, uninhibited sex with her. 'How would he play this' he thought? He decided he'd have some fun with her tonight at the dinner table and see where it went. A devious plan quickly unfolded in his mind.

Ellie was standing to the side of the parking attendent booth and John held the wallet up as he approached her.

"Oh you got it. I'm so glad. Chuck was so nervous that he may have lost it someplace else."

"Yep, found it right on the seat where he said it would be."

She smiled and took the wallet from him and noted that he let his fingers sensuously hold and then rub the top of her hand for a moment as they slid away, releasing it and allowing her to tuck it into her purse as they hurriedly walked along towards the restaurant.

Had she just imagined the caress he'd given her? she was pretty sure she hadn't. She glanced up at him as they walked along together and noted that there was something mischievous in the way he was grinning down at her. She really needed to eat, as she thought she was starting to imagine things about the tall, handsome man.

--

The restaurant was filled to capacity and Ellie couldn't see Chuck or Sarah anywhere so she figured they must have already been seated. There wasn't a hostess to be found so Ellie looked up at John who had already spotted them. He gently took her elbow and moved her so that he was holding her slightly to his front, just enough for her to feel the heat coming off his body and feel her tush brush against his pelvis. She thought her knees would buckle if they didn't move soon. As the crush in front of them moved, he began walking forward, but kept his hand at the small of her back as he guided them to the table. She felt tingles and shivers at the intimate gesture. His strong fingers curled slightly around her hip and she could feel the warmth spread all over her. What had changed in the past half hour she wondered? While he'd always been friendly and relaxed with her he was now behaving quite differently, intimately, she mused to herself.

John held her chair out for her as she sat down. The table was small and the room was cramped so she could feel his hard thigh pressing against her own. It took her a moment to settle in and focus on her brother and Sarah.

"So, can I have my wallet?"

Ellie grinned and leaned over to fetch his wallet from her purse. "Here you go, John went back to the car and found it."

"Thanks, buddy!"

"No problem, maybe you should have Walker keep it in her purse for you, big-boy," Casey chortled.

"Nope, it's safe right here. But, I was thinking of getting one of those chain things, you know, so I'd never loose it again."

"Um, yeah, that would come in handy when you get into a gang-fight with all the nerds at work."

Normally, Chuck would sense sarcasm from Casey, but he'd genuinely smiled when he'd made the remark and seemed to be, what was it, Chuck couldn't quite put his finger on it, it seemed like Casey was enjoying himself.

As dinner wound down, and the check arrived, Chuck tossed in a fifty for he and Sarah, while Casey went for his wallet. What happened next, clearly held both Sarah and Chuck's interest. Ellie, quick as a ninja, grabbed Casey's wrist and yanked it towards her. Sarah breathed in sharply, waiting for the growl to come and hoping Casey wouldn't make a scene as he always got weird when people touched him, much less grabbed him. But, to her amazement, nothing happened. Ellie was still holding his wrist tightly in her hand as Sarah made eye contact with Chuck.

"No, no, absolutely no! I told you I was treating you, John."

"Ellie, really, just let me get my own dinner."

"No, you saved me today and it's the least I can do. I'll be very upset if you don't let me treat you. Now you promise me you'll let me get this?"

"Okay, okay, you win."

Chuck smiled as he realized that Casey was not going to pull a karate move on his sister and glanced at her, noting she was still clasping Casey's wrist.

"So, what happened, El? how did Casey save you?"

"I forgot to pay the water bill and I got stuck in the shower this morning when it went off."

"What?"

"The water just stopped. It went from hot to freezing and then shut off completely. I was covered in shampoo and soap and just completely freaked out."

Sarah was grinning at the look on Casey's face. He didn't even realize it, but he was smiling again and after Ellie had let go of his wrist, neither had pulled their hands away from the table-top. These two were flirting with each other! This was new information and very interesting. She kept her trained-eye on both he and Ellie as she continued her story.

"So I guess I screamed a little and John heard me."

"A little? it was more like a shrieking bald-eagle closing in for the kill," Casey joked.

"John Casey, I do not screech!" she flirtatiously added as she gently slapped his hand, which was still resting very close to her own.

"Well it sure sounded like some sort of wild birdcall to me."

Ellie huffed and continued with a big grin and a twinkle in her eye. "So, as I was just _trying _to say, John heard me and came over."

"Yes, through your _unlocked_ door!" He emphasized the unlocked part and gave her a stern look for a moment.

"Oh, I forget to lock it once and a while, big deal. It's not like I'm hiding top-secret information in my house," she giggled.

Chuck's face went slack and Sarah gave an uneasy smile to Ellie who was oblivious to what she'd just said.

"So, you're saying Casey just barged into the bathroom while you were in the shower!" Chuck added, his face taking on a look of slight discomfort as he eyed his handler carefully.

"Yeah, I kicked the door in and stormed her bathroom while she was in the shower, while wearing my Superman outfit and cape! No, idiot, I called out to her to make sure she was okay and she told me what happened and asked me to come in and help her."

Chuck seemed to relax as Ellie told the rest of the tale.

As Ellie signed for the check, John stood behind her and pulled her chair out for her as she got up. He walked close to her and continued to keep his hand at the small of her back as Chuck and Sarah strolled along in front of them. Sarah was getting a sore throat though, and Chuck was in mother-hen mode.

"Maybe you should check her over Ellie?"

"Chuck, I'm fine. It's just a sore throat. If it gets worse, yes, I'll let Ellie check me okay?"

That seemed to work as he calmed down, but, it was decided that he would be staying the night with her for good measure.

Casey was relieved, as they all had the night off. Chuck was safe with Sarah, even if she did have the creeping crud, and he could spend his time on more important things.

--

Once home, after Chuck had left to take Sarah home, John and Ellie lingered in the courtyard. She sat on the edge of the fountain as he stood before her, hands in his pockets. Ellie was definitely enjoying the attention he was giving and secretly wished the night wouldn't end, as she'd had such a nice time.

"Dinner was good, thanks Ellie and I'm glad I was able to help you today."

"You really are a Superhero Mr. Casey," she beamed.

Casey gave her a genuine smile. "Well, I'm headed off to the store for some groceries. Need anything?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." She kept an unreadable expression on her face, but was inwardly saddened that the evening was coming to an end. "Well, you have a nice evening, John." She wanted to say 'see you later' but figured he'd make the effort if he wanted to spend more time with her. He smiled and walked into his apartment as she headed into hers.

As he shut his door, he'd already finished his plan. He could make it over to Macy's and back within an hour if he left now. He grabbed his keys and headed out.

--

Ellie busied herself doing laundry and reading a tacky romance novel that she'd found in the employee lounge at the hospital while she waited between loads, when she heard John's door open and close. He was back she sighed. Her head fell back on the couch for a moment as she thought of how nice it would have been to to curl up on him, she grinned at the image and corrected herself to 'next to him' on the couch. Her thoughts drifted to how it would feel to kiss him. She'd look up at his rugged, handsome face and they'd make eye contact. Clear blue ocean to grey steel then he'd lower his face and kiss her for all he was worth. She picked up the novel from the coffee table and smiled at the cover. A shirtless, rugged, tall, dark and handsome man was on the cover, muscles rippling as his strong arms wrapped protectively around the heroine. Ellie's eyes fluttered closed as she drifted off for a short nap.

--

She was being held hostage in the hold of a pirate ship, the waves were crashing and she could hear the epic battle taking place above her, on deck. She could hear the clash of steel on steel as the pirates fought off her rescuer, lover, fiance and father of her unborn child. Captain John Casey was waging war with the pirate crew that had kidnapped his woman, and he wanted her back! She was screaming for him. All she had to do was make sure he could hear her and could find her before the sinking ship slipped below the surface of the cold, choppy sea. She heard his voice booming as he searched the hold for her. Finally, he was there and she was safe in his strong arms.

Her dream quickly shifted and now she was safe in his arms in his cabin, on his ship and they were passionately kissing each other. Captain John Casey, defender of all that was good and pure, was kissing her breathless and working at opening the bodice of her gown. Soon they were naked and he crushed her to his chest, with a strong arm supporting her back as her head tilted back and she moaned his name in ecstasy. "Captain John, how I've missed you, my love." She heard his low, sensual voice resonate in her ear as he replied. "No one takes my bride and lives, my love! I would fight to the death for you."

"But what of the pirates John? Are they all dead?"

Of course they were all dead, as Captain John had single-handedly laid waste to them all, with just a dagger held between his teeth and his trusty sword.

--

John slammed his door and put his package down on his desk. Now, all he had to do was calmly walk over to Ellie's, ring her bell (in more ways than one, he hoped,) and give her "the gift." The idea had popped into his head in the parking garage. He knew Macy's carried Christian Louboutains, and he knew her size, so he'd grab a pair and then go see how the proverbial glass slippers fit on his Cinderella.

He checked the video feed, and noted she was snuggled on the couch napping with a book appearing to have fallen onto her chest. She had a small smile across her lovely lips and it made his gut clench as he wondered and hoped that she was dreaming of him.

He knocked lightly and realized she was probably still napping and decided not to startle her. Knowing that the door was most likely unlocked, which still irritated him to no end, he quietly entered the apartment and walked towards the couch. Ever so gently, he touched her arm as her eyes halfway opened and she gazed up at him and then unexpectedly threw herself into his arms.

"I knew you'd come for me, I knew it. And you killed them all!"

He could feel the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest and his brain was caught between the pleasure of her embrace and the slight discomfort her words brought, at the mention of him 'killing them all?' Yes, he'd killed many in his time, but how and why would she be speaking of it with him now, as she held him so tightly, was a mystery to him. Then, it became clearer, as he glanced at the book that had now fallen to the floor, cover side up. He chuckled lightly at the cover. Some muscle-head model (thank God it wasn't Fabio,) dressed in some pirate getup was holding onto a voluptuous beauty, whose bodice was so tight, it barely contained her heaving bosom. They lay on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace on an old sailing ship. He shook his head in amazement. Who the hell had a fireplace on an old wooden sailing ship? Only an idiot would risk spreading a fire on his _wooden_ ship. But then he was brought back to the present when Ellie's head lolled against his chest. She was back asleep in his arms now, and made a gentle mewling sound as his hand unconsciously stroked her silky dark hair. She was dreaming of pirates and passion he grinned. Maybe he could get her to play along a bit longer before she awoke and ended the game. He tilted his head so his lips were inches from her ear and whispered in a sexy, low voice, "Of course I killed them all, I needed to get to you, Darling."

She pressed herself even tighter to him and he was tempted to ravish her on the spot, but he kept up the premise and nuzzled her head to his neck as she quietly sighed his name, "Oh Captain John....."

'_Captain_?' He was a full Colonel, in the good-old United States Army thank you very much, not the fucking Navy! he inwardly groused, but still couldn't hold back the grin at the silly predicament he found himself in. It seemed this evening was all about fairy tales. It was time to wake his Pirate Wench so she could play a new and better role, that of his own, personal Cinderella.

Again, he let his voice drop low and soft as he gently woke her from her slumber.

"Time to wake up Ellie," he soothed. He made sure to angle his head so he could watch the lovely process unfold before his eyes. Her dark lashes fluttered open and she smiled up at him.

"Hi, John."

"Hi, Ellie."

"JOHN! Oh, my, what....."

"It's okay, it's okay," was all he soothingly said as he gently pulled her back to the safety of his warm chest. He felt her relax against him as she started to speak.

"Why am I hugging you, not that it feels bad, but why?"

"You didn't hear me when I knocked, so I came in and you were napping. When I shook your arm to wake you, you sat up and hugged me. You also said something about how glad you were that I was here and had "killed them all."

She pushed away from him and looked up at him, with a slight blush on her pretty cheeks. "I was dreaming of you," she demurred as she gazed up at him.

"Were you now? and what, exactly was I doing in your dream? as you had a smile on your face." he flirtaciously asked.

Shedding her slight embarrassment with each passing second, she played along. "You were actually kissing me, John."

"Em, I see, and where were we?"

"On your ship. You'd just rescued me from the pirates that held me captive," she replied, feeling slightly nervous again at how corny this actually sounded as she spoke, but relieved at the same time, as he seemed to be enjoying it.

"So I was just kissing you for all to see?"

"Oh, no, we were in your quarters. You were the Captain of the ship."

"Of course. I'd have been a bit insulted if I was just the cook."

"No, you were my..the Captain."

"Did you like it?"

"Being kissed by you, or the fact that you were a powerful sea Captain?"

"Both," he replied as he pulled her back into his embrace.

"Yes, yes I did."

"Well then, wait here." He stated as he hopped up quickly from the couch.

Ellie stared up at him in bewilderment as he jogged out of the apartment. Before she could get too irritated, he was back, carrying a large rolled up bundle. He stooped quickly in front of the couch and unfurled the bundle. Ellie gasped when she saw what it was.

"Where on Earth did you get that?"

"I've had it for some time. A buddy of mine brought it back from New Zealand when he was in college years ago. I've never used it, it just stays stashed in my closet. Now I'm glad I saved it and didn't toss it," he grinned. "You like it?"

"Like it, yes, yes I like it. What exactly are you going to do with it though?" she asked, with a glint in her eye.

He surprised her again when he stooped and picked her up and kissed her quickly then laid her down on the soft, plush sheepskin. "I'm going to ravish you my dear, Ellie."

All she could do was giggle like a school-girl in reply as he was already laying beside her pulling her tightly to him and kissing her neck.

"Oh, Captain John, but what of the pirates? what if more of them find us?"

"They won't, my lady, The Dread Pirate Chuck and his lovely wench Sarah are on his ship, so he'll be staying with her tonight remember. I have you all to myself, here in my ships quarters."

"Oh, Captain......." she breathed as he kissed her passionately.

--

John awoke with a crick in his neck but a smile on his face. He felt slightly chilled, given that he was laying on the floor of Ellie's apartment, butt naked, with only the warm sheepskin rug under him and an equally chilled Ellie curled next to him. What had started as a fun evening out, had turned into an even better evening in. He still had to surprise her with the shoes. He quietly stood and slowly walked to the coffee table where he'd placed the bag. He took it as quietly as he could into the hallway where he pulled the shoebox out of the bag so Ellie wouldn't hear the paper crinkling. He pulled out the shoes, tossed aside their tissue paper and walked into her bedroom, laying the shoes on her dresser and pulling the covers back from her bed. They'd wasted no time getting intimate, and he was still stunned that it was late in the night now, and that they'd been playing "Pirate" for a few hours before exhausting each other and falling asleep. John walked back into the living room and stooped and picked Ellie up. As he carried her to her bedroom, she woke and gazed up at him.

"What time is it?"

"Two-thirty in the morning. Time for the Captain and his woman to get some sleep."

She giggled as he bent his head down and kissed her, then laid her down in her bed and crawled in beside her. Normally it took him a half hour or so to wind down and fall asleep. This time, with her, he was out like a light.

--

Ellie sighed as she felt John's strong hands massaging her calves and feet. What a way to wake up, she thought as she propped herself up on her elbows to find him, clad only in a pair of flannel pajama pants, crouched in front of her, with one of her legs, positioned between his own while his strong hands worked magic on her dainty feet.

Ellie realized they'd moved at the speed of sound to get to this point in only a few short hours, but what she'd shared with him, and done with him in those few hours, was like nothing she'd ever experienced. Just a few weeks earlier, she'd flashed him on a dare. Now, she'd spent the most passionate night of her life with him. She felt no shame or guilt or unease as her instinct, which was always spot on, told her John was different. She felt connected to him in a different way than she had with Devon. Safe, comforted and protected. Why this was, she had no idea, but she felt it none-the-less. He held her foot in his hand and had the most satisfied look on his face.

"You know, Ellie, the strangest thing happened to me the other night."

"Oh? what happened?"

"Someone rang my doorbell and they were wearing nothing but heels and a-"

She instantly pulled her foot away from him and scooted back against the headboard of the bed, pulling her knees to her chest in alarm, and putting as much space between them as possible. 'No, no, no, please no' she thought and then realized she was in fact speaking. Had this all been about him wanting to get back at her and trick her as well, now that he'd somehow realized what she'd done on Halloween? Involuntary tears began to slide down her cheeks, but, before she could speak, he moved up and pulled her to him, crushing his lips to hers. She struggled slightly but stopped as she felt him speaking to her with his body and soul through the steaming kiss.

John saw the panic play across her features. 'Damn, this isn't how it's supposed to go. Get it back soldier, get it back!.' Tears were running down her face and he instinctively pulled her tightly into an embrace and kissed her. He poured everything he had into the kiss. His fear, his joy, his guilt, his strength, his secrets, his sorrows and his passion for her. She fought him, but his steel embrace was relentless and soon he felt her relax and respond to him in kind. Gasping for air, they separated, but he held her face in his palms and spoke from his heart.

"No fear, no worries Ellie, okay?"

All she did was sob slightly and lower her gaze to the bed. He gently tugged her face up to meet his steel blue eyes. "I don't want you to misunderstand me, so let me be clear okay?" She nodded and he continued. "I was so- so, relieved when I realized it was you! you confounded me. I never expected that, and it kind of took over. I was obsessed and finally just figured I'd never meet you, Cin-

She was intently watching him now and as he paused, the concern came back on her face. Again, he leaned into her and kissed her and then continued. "Cinderella." There, he'd said it. It was corny, he knew it, but he didn't give a flying-fuck. She _was_ his Cinderella so he could call her that if he wanted. Now, it was she who pulled his face to hers and cradled it in her delicate hands.

"Cinderella?" she inquired.

"Um, yeah, you know, the slipper thing and all?"

Damn it, in her discomfort, he'd forgotten all about the shoes! Now she looked puzzled. He turned and stood from the bed as she watched his every move. He strode to her dresser and grabbed a pair of distinctive black and red Louboutains and knelt back on the bed in front of her.

He took one of her legs in his hands and cradled her calf. He let his fingers trail down the sides to her ankles and then to her feet as he placed the shoe on her foot. She got the shivers as his hands moved to take her other calf and repeat the process. When he was done, he fixed his gaze on her and whispered "Cinderella."

Ellie felt tears roll down her cheeks again. This time they came from joy, not fear.

"It was my shoes?" she asked incredulously. "How did you know?"

"I found the heel on the walkway."

"Oh my god, but how did you know it was mine?"

Realization hit her, and at the same time, they both said, "The shoes were in the car!"

"The damn bag in the car," she laughed. "Oh, John, I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. No need, like I said, I was quite happy to discover your identity, Ellie."

"But, you must think I'm just a....a woman of loose character," she lamely sputtered out.

John laughed at that. "Never. Ellie, I'm a good reader of character, and I know you're not, in any way, a woman of loose character."

"But after tonight, you must think-"

"You and I both know that what happened tonight was way, way beyond some random hook-up. I know you felt it too, Ellie! It's the beginning for us."

"Yes, I felt it too. There's this connection with you that I've felt for a while. I can't even explain it, but I guess others sensed it as well, as that's how this whole thing started."

He listened attentively as she went back to the beginning and told him how it all began at Irene's house on Halloween night.

They lay on her bed talking and laughing the entire morning, finally getting out of bed to have a late breakfast. John in his pajama pants and Ellie in her Louboutains and nothing else.

(AND, they lived happily ever after!)


End file.
